Whew! The Barton County Fair was a busy, fun, and successful week! Our Country Pride, County Wide was definitely on display!
Some favorite moments were watching big kids help small ones and when fierce competitors were teaching one another how to show their animals so that they are all better. Listening to 4-H members talk to judges about their projects with the successes and learning moments from less than successful is always great to hear.
We had several youth step into bigger leadership roles from presenting learning activities about water to serving as co-superintendents or assistant superintendents.
If you happened to be in the buildings on judging days, you probably saw 4-H members sitting down to review their projects with a judge. Consultative judging is an important aspect of the learning process for 4-H. Judges consider the project itself based on a project standard along with the learning opportunities that led to a fair entry. For our youth in the Foods and Nutrition project, they are hopefully sharing about helping with meals during the year, learning new cooking techniques and skills, or learning about nutrition. All of that goes into a judge’s decision when determining a ribbon placing. 4-H uses the Danish System of ribbon placement which means:
Purple – Outstanding on all standards
Blue – Exceeds minimum standards, minor improvements can be made
Red – Meets minimum standards, needs improvements
White – Fails to meet minimum standards
An important skill for a judge is to be able to give feedback to the youth that is both constructive and encouraging.